English

During the term our English is taught in ‘units of work’ inspired by and based on the following quality children’s texts.

SUMMER 1

Arthur and the Golden Rope (Joe Todd-Stanton): 5 weeks

Arthur, a small boy fascinated by the magical tales of the town's wise woman, is out exploring one day when he's startled by a terrible howl. Too late, he watches as a huge wolf, Fenrir, puts out the village's great fire, meaning that the village faces being frozen solid in a week - unless a Viking god relights the fire.

Arthur decides to make the journey to the great hall and help Thor catch the wicked Fenrir. There, he is set the almost impossible task of sourcing magical elements to make a Golden Rope. In an exciting battle, it seems as if all is lost, until Arthur proves that even a small boy can be the most unlikely of heroes.

A fantastic version of a Norse myth that falls between a picture book for older readers and a graphic novel, this is a promising start to an attractive adventure series that should appeal to boys and girls.

The key learning aims during the unit are:

• To engage children with a story told through a mixture of narration, speech and visual imagery
• To explore themes and issues, and develop and sustain ideas through discussion
• To develop creative responses to the text through drama, story telling and artwork
• To compose writing for a wide variety of purposes
• To write in role in order to explore and develop empathy for characters

The main writing / speaking and listening outcomes of the unit are:

• To plan writing by identifying audiences and purpose of writing, considering authors perspectives and developing initial ideas
• To draft and write by selecting appropriate grammar choices, describe settings, build cohesion across paragraphs and use organisational devices to structure their writing
• To evaluate and edit by assessing the effectiveness of their own and others' writing, change vocabulary, grammar and punctuation, and by checking the use of tense throughout their writing
• Listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers
• Participate actively in collaborative conversations
• Use spoken language to develop understanding through imagining and exploring ideas
• Select and use appropriate registers for effective communication
• Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
• Use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary
• Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions

We finished our unit by writing our own comic book. Each child designed and created a page around the story 'Crystal and the Demon's eye.' Each child has received their own copy of this book and are credited as contributors.  

SUMMER 2

The boy at the back of the class (Onjali Q Raúf): 6 weeks

This is the story about how one ordinary nine-year-old child and three classmates are full of empathy for Ahmet, a boy that comes to their school as a refugee from Syria (he is the boy at the back of the class).

Through their sensitivity, curiosity, ingenuity, bravery and innocent niceness, they make a massive impact on Ahmet’s life, friends, class, school, community and wider world. There’s a lovely lack of stereotyping on gender and backstory for the narrator, which adds to the message of not judging people before you know them.

An inspiring and sweet tale that will help children think about what it is to be a good person whatever your circumstances (the narrator is from a poor background with a single parent mum who struggles to make ends meet), and challenge prejudice and push for fairness, whenever possible.

This is a beautiful, open-hearted debut from Onjali Q Raúf that should help children be the best they can be and realise the power of kindness.

The key learning aims during the unit are:

• To develop an insight and appreciation of the challenges of refugee experiences.
• To support the understanding of empathy and develop empathy skills.
• To explore the concept of the entitlement of fundamental human rights and freedoms for all

The main writing / speaking and listening outcomes of the unit are:

• Plan writing by identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form
• Note and develop initial ideas, drawing on reading and research
• Draft and write by selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary
• In narratives, describe settings, characters and atmosphere, integrate dialogue to convey character and advance action
• Use a range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs
• Evaluate and edit by proposing changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning
• Proof read for spelling and punctuation errors
• Perform their own compositions, using appropriate intonation, volume, movement so that meaning is clear
• Select appropriate grammar and vocabulary, and understand how such choices can change and enhance meaning
• Maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, responding to texts
• Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and build vocabulary and knowledge
• Articulate and justify answers and opinions
• Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, imagining and exploring ideas
• Participate in discussions, presentations, performances and debates
• Consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to the contributions of others
• Select and use appropriate registers for effective communication
• Use spoken language to develop understanding through imagining and exploring ideas in discussion, role-play and drama
• Consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others

SPAG learning is incorporated into each lesson.